The Columbus City Council on Tuesday voted to hire local attorney Gary Goodwin as the city’s new municipal court judge.
Goodwin will fill the seat vacated by Nicole Clinkscales, who left the bench to run for a seat in the state Legislature. Clinkscales lost the election.
Goodwin told The Dispatch he will likely begin working next week.
“I’m just very elated that the council chose to select me,” he said.
City officials said they received three applications in August for the judicial position, which pays $23,449 a year. City officials declined to say publicly who the applicants were.
However, Joshua Clemons, a Columbus attorney, confirmed to The Dispatch that he also applied.
Pat Mitchell, the city’s human resources manager, said the third candidate did not meet qualifications “due to residency.”
A committee consisting of Mayor Robert Smith, Ward 1 councilman Gene Taylor, Columbus Chief of Police Tony Carleton, municipal court administrator Wendy Blunt, Chief Operations Officer David Armstrong and Mitchell interviewed the candidates in private last week.
On Tuesday, that committee recommended Goodwin’s hire. The council approved the hire without any discussion at the table. The vote was 5-1, with Ward 5 Councilman Kabir Karriem opposing.
Goodwin has practiced law since August 1981. His experience also includes a brief stint as Lowndes County prosecutor to fill out part of a term in 1991, serving as a municipal judge in 1994-96 and working as a public defender for 1999-2014. Goodwin also works in private practice.
Goodwin said he’s eager to work with local attorneys. He also said he wanted the position to continue his public service.
“Everybody needs to be in public service,” he said. “I’d felt like I’d done all I could as a public defender. The judgeship opened up and I was like ‘Why not?'”
Mitchell said judges have the option to work 29 or 30 hours per week. Those who work 29 hours do not receive benefits. Those who work 30 hours get insurance and retirement benefits.
Marc Amos is the other municipal judge in Columbus.
In other news
Council on Tuesday approved the city’s Fiscal Year 2016 budget. The council voted 4-2 on the matter, with Karriem and Ward 6 Councilman Bill Gavin opposing.
The council set the millage rate a public hearing last week. They also approved a $178,000 injection from the city’s cash reserves to balance the $24.33 million budget.
Sales taxes beat monthly, annual projections
The city of Columbus pulled in more than $9.3 million in sales tax revenue for Fiscal Year 2015.
The record-breaking collections came on the back of a stronger-than-expected July. The state of Mississippi distributed the revenue to the city this month.
“The actual sales tax data came in higher than I’d estimated,” Chief Financial Officer Milton Rawle said. “The total is $762,288.43. It was an increase over last year of $61,004.91
“For the end of the year, as far as sales taxes, that also exceeded my estimates,” Rawle continued. “I had estimated $9.25 million, but it actually came in at $9,301,515.83”
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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